Next week is the historic unveiling of a statute dedicated to renowned civil rights leader Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., in Washington DC. More than four decades after the death of Dr. King, blacks and whites still differ on a number of issues. According to a recent GALLUP poll, Black and White Americans still have very divergent views on civil rights and the government’s role in addressing socio-economic issues. In the poll, 59% of Blacks survived believe that the government should play a major role in improving the social and economic position of blacks, while 32% of whites disagree. Additionally, 52% of blacks want new civil rights laws in this country, while 15% of whites agree.
According to the poll, most Americans believe that civil rights issues have improved over the years. However, Blacks still believe there is much work to be done, and many Americans think the government should step in to improve social and economic conditions. Among those polled, “ 27% of Americans -- comprising all races and ethnic backgrounds -- believe that the government should play a major role in improving the social and economic position of blacks and other minority groups, down significantly from 40% in 2004 and 37% in 2005. “
What do these differences in views about rights say about Americans? Are we still living in two different Americas? Share your views with PGN.
What do you think?
RESOURCES
- Lupus Foundation of America – www.lupus.org The Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. (LFA) is the foremost national nonprofit voluntary health organization dedicated to finding the causes of and cure for lupus and providing support, services and hope to all people affected by lupus.
- http://my.barackobama.com/
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation – www.wkkf.org The W.K. Kellogg Foundation supports children, families, and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society
- Community Voices – www.communityvoices.org Community Voices: Health Care for the Underserved is a group of community-based demonstration projects dedicated to finding real-life ways to provide greater access to quality health care to the underserved and uninsured people in America.
- Children’s Defense Fund – http://www.childrensdefense.org/ The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind and to ensure every child a healthy start, a Head Start, a fair start, a safe start and a moral start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.
- National Criminal Justice Reference Service – http://www.ncjrs.gov/
- National Urban League – http://www.nul.org/ The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities.
- National Association for the advancement of Colored People – www.naacp.org The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a civil rights organization for ethnic minorities in the United States.
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